As women, we know how tough is sometimes to be taken seriously, to be treated equally as men, to be emotional or not to be emotional, the list is endless!

International Woman’s Day is about unity, celebration, reflection and action. That day belongs not to a group, not to an organization, it belongs to all woman collectively everywhere. To celebrate for what we have achieved till now and keep fighting for making a positive difference in this world by standing together, and not allowing to be the gentle sex anymore because we are equal!

On that day, I always like to mention people who are worth mentioning, who have made a difference in the world by being successful in their jobs plus, they make it look so easy, they grow families and they have high – pressure careers.

5. Christina Koch – Astronaut

She is an American engineer and NASA astronaut of the class of 2013. Just before becoming an astronaut she served with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as Station Chief for American Samoa. On October 18th Koch was the first woman to participate in an all-female spacewalk.

4. Megan Markle – Ex Duchess of Sussex

Markle was a counsellor for international charity One Young World. She spoke on the topics of gender equality and modern-day slavery. Also, in 2014 she toured Afghanistan and Spain with the United Service Organizations. In 2016, after a trip to India focused on raising awareness for women’s issues, she penned an op-ed Time Magazine concerning stigmatization of women regarding intimate health. The Duchess is a vocal feminist and intends to use her role to continue supporting women’s rights and social justice.

3. Yara Shahidi- Actor, Activist

An actor, an activist and a Harvard student, she has packed a lot into her 18 years. After finding initial success on the US sitcom Black-Ish, she used her considerable platform to bring attention to important issues such as structural racism and gender equality. She has worked alongside Michelle Obama on the Let Girls Learn initiative as well as in conjunction with the UN to create a Young Women’s Leadership Network which encourages young woman from low-income communities to access better opportunities.

2. Sampat Pal Devi- Activist

After witnessing a man in her village beat his wife, Sampat founded the Gulabi Gang, a group of women who protect the powerless and fight against traditions such as child marriage and domestic violence. They are recognisable by their pin saris and they offer support and training to others to ensure they have the skills and confidence to support and protect themselves. She was taken out of school to marry at the age of 12 and had her child at the age of 15, so now tirelessly campaigns to prevent other young girls experiencing the same fate.

1. Marley Dias

At 13 years old, Dias founded #1000bblackgirlbooks a campaign that she started in 2015 intending to collect and donate 1000 books to her peers that featured black girls as the main characters. She collected more than 10,000 books and spoke alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey at the United State of Women Summit in 2016. This past January she released her book! Her work has also earned her a spot as the youngest person on Forbes.

“The story of women’s struggle for gender equality belongs to no single feminist nor any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” – Gloria Steinem